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  Geophysics

  IntroBooks Team

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  It has been said that science may be divided into two categories, astronomy which covers all things outside the Earth, and geophysics which deals with everything else. The geophysicist is dedicated to the study of the earth by physical means, and the Earth as a whole is his sphere. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the geophysicist and the geologist, for present geological techniques are based only on the study of the features of the Earth which are disclosed at the very surface of it. Although this sometimes gives a clue as to conditions at some depth below the surface, it is only by physical methods such as measurement of the Earth’s gravity or magnetic fields, by the study of its thermal regime or of seismic waves that have traversed it that reliable information can be obtained about the interior of the Earth. It is at the surface that the geologists and geophysicists meet, and theories must be made to coincide. Nowhere is this common meeting ground more important than in Antarctica, for over most of the continent the ice sheet deprives the geologist of his access to the true surface of the solid earth.

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  The Brain - A Very Short...

  Michael O’Shea

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  How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving?In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Chapters tackle subjects such as brain processes, perception, memory, motor control, and the causes of "altered mental states". A final section discusses possible future developments in neuroscience, touching on artificial intelligence, gene therapy, the importance of the Human Genome Project, drugs by design, and transplants.

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  Creation and or Creationism? -...

  Michael D. Guinan

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  God declared creation good. But the debate raging about creation in recent decades has been anything but.If you have ever gotten lost in the storm of controversy surrounding the creationism debate, then Fr. Michael Guinan's grounding instruction is your key to understanding.Do you believe in evolution or creation? Is man created in the image of God or the image of an ape? Should "creation science" be taught in public school science classes? These are controversial issues in America today. They grab headlines and stir up emotions, but often little progress is made in conveying key information.The controversy, "evolution vs. creation," is actually part of a much larger conflict, one may even call it a "culture-war," but it becomes clear rather quickly that a key role is played throughout by a particular understanding of the Bible (popularly called "fundamentalist") and what it teaches. Is evolution actually in competition with Genesis?In this course, you will see that the "science vs. religion" struggle on this issue is ultimately a false one. Other ways express more adequately the relationship between these two important and interrelated areas. After setting out some initial perspectives and surveying briefly three challenges from the past (Galileo, the rise of modern geology and the age of the earth, and biology and evolution as represented by Charles Darwin), we will survey the "evolution vs. creation" controversy as it has been played out in the United States in the 20th century.This course provides the Catholic perspective of this heated topic, an essential resource in the 21st century world that is flooded with inaccurate media. You will find Fr. Guinan's teaching excellent and the information priceless.

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  People's Science - Bodies and...

  Ruha Benjamin

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  “An engaging, insightful, and challenging call to examine both the rhetoric and reality of innovation and inclusion in science and science policy.” —Daniel R. Morrison, American Journal of Sociology   Stem cell research has sparked controversy and heated debate since the first human stem cell line was derived in 1998. Too frequently these debates devolve to simple judgments—good or bad, life-saving medicine or bioethical nightmare, symbol of human ingenuity or our fall from grace—ignoring the people affected. With this book, Ruha Benjamin moves the terms of debate to focus on the shifting relationship between science and society, on the people who benefit—or don’t—from regenerative medicine and what this says about our democratic commitments to an equitable society.   People’s Science uncovers the tension between scientific innovation and social equality, taking the reader inside California’s 2004 stem cell initiative, the first of many state referenda on scientific research, to consider the lives it has affected. Benjamin reveals the promise and peril of public participation in science, illuminating issues of race, disability, gender, and socio-economic class that serve to define certain groups as more or less deserving in their political aims and biomedical hopes.    Ultimately, Ruha Benjamin argues that without more deliberate consideration about how scientific initiatives can and should reflect a wider array of social concerns, stem cell research—from African Americans’ struggle with sickle cell treatment to the recruitment of women as tissue donors—still risks excluding many. Even as regenerative medicine is described as a participatory science for the people, Benjamin asks us to consider if “the people” ultimately reflects our democratic ideals.

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  Sesame and Lilies

  Ruskin John

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  Sesame and Lilies proposes and answers the questions, how, what and why to read in the context of how and why to live.About earlier and later editions of the book containing the first two lectures alone, Ruskin wrote: "...chiefly written for young people belonging to the upper or undistressed, middle classes; who may be supposed to have choice of the objects and command of the industries of their life... if read in connection with “Unto This Last” it contains the chief truths I have endeavored through all of my past life to display… and am chiefly thankful to have learned and taught.” - Avallon, August 24, 1882*This revised and enlarged edition is comprised of two prefaces and three lectures. The Preface-Last Edition is the preface to the earlier edition and references the Alps. The two lectures, “Of Kings’ Treasuries” and “Of Queens' Gardens,” appeared alone in the first editions and last editions. They were withdrawn from later editions, "not as irrelevant but as following the subject too far, and disturbing the simplicity in which the original lectures dwell on their several themes, -the majesty of the influence of good books, and of good women; if we know how to read them and how to honour."*The lectures, Sesame: Of Kings' Treasuries and Lilies: Of Queens' Gardens were delivered in December 1864 at the town halls at Rusholme and Manchester. The third lecture, "Of the Mystery of Life and Its Arts" was delivered in the theater of the Royal College of Science, Dublin, 1868 and added to the book in editions first appearing in 1871. (Summary by Oxenhandler)

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  Genetics and the Social Behavior...

  John L. Fuller, John Paul Scott

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  The classic study of canine behavior: “A major authoritative work…Immensely rewarding reading for anyone concerned with dog-breeding.”—Times Literary Supplement Based on twenty years of research at the Jackson Laboratory, this is the single most important and comprehensive reference work on the behavior of dogs ever compiled, written by geneticist and comparative psychologist John Paul Scott, known for his research into social behavior and aggression. “One of the most important texts on canine behavior published to date. Anyone interested in breeding, training, or canine behavior must own this book.”—Wayne Hunthausen, D.V.M., Director of Animal Behavior Consultations “This pioneering research on dog behavioral genetics is a timeless classic for all serious students of ethology and canine behavior.”—Dr. Michael Fox, Senior Advisor to the President, The Humane Society of the United States “Comprehensive…[a] seminal work.”—Mark Derr, The Atlantic Monthly “Essential reading for anyone involved in the breeding of dogs. No breeder can afford to ignore the principles of proper socialization first discovered and articulated in this landmark study.”—The Monks of New Skete, authors of How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend and the video series Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete

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